Bucket conveyer.



I. CHRIST.

BUCKET GONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED 1330.2, 1909.

1,004,992. Patented Oct. 3, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I. CHRIST.

BUCKET GONVEYER.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 9.

Q 9 w Q ISAAC CHRIST, 0F TAMAQUA, PENNSYLVANIA.

BUCKET CONVEYER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 2, 1909.

Patented Oct. 3, 1911. Serial No. 531,076.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IsAAo CHRIST, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tamaqua, in the county of Schuylkill and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bucket Conveyers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in bucket conveyers or elevators, or in that class of conveyers or elevators in which a series of buckets are carried by one or more endless chains, and in which each bucket is automatically caused to dump its contents at a predetermined position.

My invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same parts are indicated by the same letters throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the apparatus but omitting the frame-work on which it is mounted, for the sake of clearness in the drawings. Fig. 2 shows a section along the line 2--2 of Fig. 8, looking in the direction of the arrows, and shows a section through the chain and an end view of one of the buckets with the bottom in a closed position. Fig. 8 is a side elevation showing two of the buckets, one with its bottom in the closed position, and the other with its bottom in the partly open position. Fig. 4 is a plan View showing the engagement of the links of the chain with one of the sprocket wheels, and Figs. 5, 6 and 7 show modifications in which a single chain is used for hoisting the buckets and in which Fig. 5 shows in side elevation a vertically disposed single strand elevator; Fig. 6 shows a plan view partly in section of a modified form of single strand elevator; and Fig. 7 shows in elevation still another form of single strand elevator.

A and A represent two sprocket wheels, either one of which may be driven from any suitable source of power, not shown. On the teeth a of these sprocket wheels the long links of chains B engage, as shown in Fig.

4:. These chains are preferably composed of a series of links detachably connected together, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 1.

. In Figs. 2 and 4 are shown four flat links engaging the tie rod H near its end. This rod H is passed through the enlarged opening 6 of the end B of the link, and slides up into the end of the slot 6. The ends of these rods H project into, and connect together the lugs D and D on consecutive buckets, and thus serve not only as a connector for the links of the chains, but also as a hinge pin for the buckets.

0 represents the loading chute which delivers the material to the buckets D. The

sides of these buckets are preferably curved,

as at d, and the bottoms of the buckets are closed by curved plates E, fitting snugly between the sides of the bucket. These curved plates E are hinged to the rod c",

extending across the bucket, and are provided with angle irons e carrying the studs 6, on which the rollers E are journaled. These rollers run along the tracks F, F and F as shown in Fig. l. The track F shown at the top of Fig. 1 is preferably curved, as

at f, to engage and lift the bottoms out of i the buckets while the latter are in the inverted position, thus shaking loose any particles that may be attached to the bottoms,

and cleaning the joint between the bottoms and the sides of the buckets. At the other end the rails F are curved, as at f, to allow the bottoms of the buckets to drop back in place until they engage the curved portion f of the track F, when they are wedged back into position and are positively held in a closed position during their travel throughout the length of the track F until the curved portion. f is reached, when the bottom of the bucket will drop downward over Thus it will be seen that I provide a series in engagement with the buckets when the latter are in the loaded position, and in which the said bottoms are released at the predetermined point, such as the chute G.

shown in Fig. 1 may be tilted through any angle from the horizontal to the vertical, ac cording to the conditions required of the conveyer.

In Figs. 5, 6, and 7, I have shown a single strand elevator, having the buckets with hinged bottoms, which apparatus is similar in many respects to that already described. Referring to Fig. 5, A represents the sprocket wheel, having grooved teeth G21 adapted to engage the pins H, which connect the corners of the buckets D and the; links of the chain B. The bottoms of these, buckets E are hinged to the buckets, as at 6, and are provided with stirru-ps e, carrying the rollers 'E, which rollers engage the; track F and keep the bottotm of the bucket in the closed position until the curved portion f of said track is reached,when the bottom drops down and the contents of the bucket are delivered to the chute G.

To prevent the buckets from pressing backward while carrying their load, the

track F is provided to engage the back of the chain '13. I

Instead of the grooved teeth a of the sprocket wheel, the straight teeth a shown on Fig. 1 and also on'F 6, maybe used, if

desired.

In Fig. 6 is shown a plan View of a slightlymodified form of'a single strand elevator, in which the pins I-I instead of being connected to the corners of the buckets are connected to the back of the buckets by:

a'bracket d In Fig. 7, the construction is the same as in Fig. 5, except that a modified form of chain is used, in which the heads of the pins H are passed through the enlarged openings in the chain B and the reduced portions of said pins engage in the ends of the links, as is well known in the art.

It will be noted that in all the various forms of conveyer herein described and shown, the bucket is not directly attached to the chain but is connected either to a tie rod, or a bracket, connected to the chain, and so disposed that there is no tearing strain on It will be seen that the weight on the bot tom of the bucket when in a loaded position will be supported by the wheels E, and by the rods 6, and the pressure on the wheels being taken up by the rigid tracks there the bucket itself, due to the dragging effect of the sprocket wheels and the weight of the entire endless carrier, but all such tearing strain is taken up by the chain, the only strain on the bucket itself being that incident to scooping up and transporting its own individual load. Furthermore, the bucket itself never touches any of the sprocket wheels over which it passes, and the slots in the chain permit of the requisite adjustment with the sprocket wheels.

By the herein vdescribed arrangement of chains, any one or more buckets may be readily detached from the apparatus for purposes of substitution or repair, and the fresh bucket inserted without material delay in the use of the apparatus.

The entire arrangement is simple in construction, strong, durable and efiicient, is cheap, and is not liable to get out of order.

It will be obvious that various modifications might be made in the hereindescribed apparatus, which could be used without departing from thespirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a conveyer of the character described, the combination with two pairs of sprocket wheels, of endless chains mounted over said sprocket wheels, buckets pivotally connected to said chains, swinging bottoms hinged at one end to said buckets, and provided with rollers at the free end, curved tracks adapted to engage said rollers, and hold the bottoms of the buckets closed when the said buckets are in the loaded position, and to lift the bottoms when said buckets are inverted, the said tracks being provided with a break, and a delivery chute beneath said break in said tracks, substantially as described.

2. In a conveyer of the character described, the combination with two pairs of sprocket wheels, of endless chains mounted over said sprocket wheels, buckets connected to said chains, swinging bottoms hinged at one end to said buckets, and provided with rollers at the free end, and curved segmental tracks adapted to engage said rollers, and hold the bottoms of the buckets closed when the said buckets are in the loaded position, and to lift the bottoms when said buckets are inverted, the said'tracks being provided with a break in the lower portion of the apparatus to permit the disengagement of said rollers, and the release of said hinged bottoms, substantially as described.

3. In a conveyer of the character described, the combination with two pairs of sprocket wheels, of endless chains composed the corresponding bucket, and rods connect- 10 ing the links of said chains and the lugs of adjacent buckets, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

ISAAC CHRIST. Witnesses:

C. E. GHRIsT, SAMUEL R. BEARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

